RESPONSE OF RABBIT STODIETS CONTAINING DRIED WATERMELON RIND
| dc.contributor.author | OLALERE,FAITH ABISOLA | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-01-12T12:19:27Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-01-12T12:19:27Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-07-11 | |
| dc.description | ADissertation submitted totheDepartment of Animal Productionand Health, College of Animal Science and Livestock Production, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, in partial fulfilmentoftherequirementsforthe awardofDegreeofMasterofAgricultureinNon-Ruminant Production | |
| dc.description.abstract | ABSTRACT Theincreasingcostofconventionalfeedingredientsnecessitatesexploringalternativefeedsourcesfor sustainablerabbitproduction.Theuseofalternativeenergysourcesuchasdriedwatermelonrindmeal mayreducecostofrabbitproductionThisstudyevaluatedtheeffectofgradedlevelofdriedwatermelon rind(DWMR)asreplacementformaizeonperformanceofweanerandgrowerrabbits.Atotalnumber ofeighty(80)unsexedmixedbreedweanerrabbitswithanaverageweightof630gwereallotedtofour treatmentgroups(0,5,10and15%)inclusionlevelsofDWMR withtwenty(20)rabbitspertreatment onweightequalisationbasis.Thefeedingtriallasted foraperiodof98days withdatacollectedongrowth performance,nutrientdigestibility,blood parameters, carcasscharacteristicsandliverhistology subjected toone-wayanalysisofvariance.Resultsshowedthatnutrientdigestibility forweanerandgrowerrabbit werenotsignificantlydifferent(p>0.05),however,weanerrabbitsfed5%DWMRhadhigher(p<0.05) finalweightandweightgain(1391.25/gand762.31/g)thanthosefed10%DWMRthoughcomparable torabbits fed0and15%DWMR.Conversely, growerrabbits fed15%DWMRrecorded higher(p<0.05) feedintakethanrabbitsfed10%,thoughsimilaras0%and5%DWMR .Costbenefitanalysisofdiets ofweaner and grower rabbitscontaining 0% DWMR hadthe highest feed cost (H559; N545.50) respectively, while15%DWMR had theleastfeedcost(K464;K450.50).Furthermore, theredblood cell(RBC)forweanerrabbitsoncontroldiet(0%DWMR)wassignificantlyhigher(p<0.05)than15% DWMR,butcomparabletoRBCofrabbitson5and10%DWMRdiets.Amonggrowerrabbits,highest (p<0.05)RBC(7.17x10'2/L)wasrecordedat10%DWMR,whileleastvalue(6.55xl012/L)wasrecorded at5%inclusion. Forserum parameters, weaner rabbits fed DWMR at5,10and15% recorded higher (p<0.05)valuesfortotalprotein,albumin,andglobulin,compared tothecontrolgroup,whilehighest (p<0.05)glucose(92.17 mg/dl)wasrecordedat15%,butleastvalues(67.98 mg/dl)at5%forgrower rabbit.Theeviscerated anddressed weights oftherabbits weresignificantly (p<0.05) higher at0and 10%DWMR.Also,hindlimbandchestweightsweresignificantly(p<0.05)influencedwithhigher values at 0, 5 and 10% inclusion levels. Liver, heart and kidney weights varied significantly (p<0.05), withhighestvaluesobservedat10%DWMR.Histologicalanalysisrevealednormalhistologicalstructure at5%inclusionlevels.ThestudyconcludedthatDWMRat5%inclusionlevelisoptimalforbettergrowth performance and cost benefit of weaner rabbits without adverse effect, while 10% inclusion level is recommended for better carcass yield and reduced cost for grower rabbits. | |
| dc.description.sponsorship | OLALERE,FAITH ABISOLA | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://ir.funaab.edu.ng/handle/123456789/533 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.title | RESPONSE OF RABBIT STODIETS CONTAINING DRIED WATERMELON RIND | |
| dc.type | Thesis |